Gallery: A chronology of Rob Anders' controversial quotes

Archive, Calgary Herald10.06.2012

January 1999: From a Herald story - As U.S. president Bill Clinton's impeachment process drags on, south of the border the talk is all about who's doing it with whom. Here in Canada, who isn't doing it is what makes the news.
So while the likes of Henry Hyde, Bob Livingston and other congressmen confess their carnal carryings-on to the Washington press corps, the likes of Calgary's own Jason Kenney and his fellow Alberta Reform MP Rob Anders recently stepped up to the media's microphones to announce that they're not doing it with anybody. Said Anders:"There are times you may be approached by women who otherwise wouldn't approach you . . . but those are probably the ones you have to be specifically wary of."

Archive
/ Calgary Herald

December 2003: Anders famously opposed a bid by Parliament to make Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela an honorary Canadian citizen, labelling the former South African president a "terrorist and a Communist.""Nelson Mandela advocated violence and used violence to achieve his aims," he said. "It is very politically correct to go ahead and lionize him, but there are problems in South Africa today and we are glossing over these things."Archive
/ Calgary Herald

December, 2003: Anders, speaking of his Calgary West nomination opponent, Alison Redford, says he is confident he'll have little trouble rounding up enough party votes to defeat Redford,"unless she's got some magic support base of people who like feminist lawyers."
Anders defeated Redford, who five years later was campaigning for MLA in Calgary-Elbow.Archive
/ Calgary Herald

February 2004: The CBC censored Don Cherry, calling remarks about French-Canadians by its high-profile hockey commentator "inappropriate and reprehensible." Cherry suggested during a broadcast that French-Canadian hockey players are weak because many wear protective visors on their helmets. Rob Anders said:"I think this is a whole load of political correctness gone wild. Where's the free speech here? Don Cherry is a colourful commentator, so let him be one."Archive
/ Calgary Herald

April 2008: Calling China "the worst human-rights abuser in the world," Calgary Tory MP Rob Anders said this year's Beijing Games are akin to those hosted by Germany while under Nazi rule."I absolutely 100 per cent think it compares to the Berlin Olympics in 1936,"Archive
/ Getty Images

June 2010: Anders comes under fire for a well-wishing note he left for Canadian troops that says: "When in doubt, pull the trigger."
A week later, Anders stood in the House of Commons and told the Speaker:"Last week I wrote a note on a card to our troops in Afghanistan. I meant to say 'Keep safe and defend yourselves.' For those who found my note inappropriate, I apologize for any offence taken."Archive
/ Calgary Herald

November 2011: Rob Anders was caught snoozing on camera during question period in the House of Commons. When contacted by the Herald, Anders said he was "too busy" exercising to comment:"I am too busy working out, thanks,". he said before the phone line went dead.Screen shot
/ YouTube

July 2012: Anders condemns his own government's decision to spend $2.5 million on a new visitor centre honouring Canadian doctor and communist supporter Norman Bethune."The idea that taxpayer money is being used to glorify somebody who was a propagandist for Mao - there's a lot of taxpayers out there who would say that was an inappropriate use of resources."Archive
/ Creative Commons

March 2012: Anders lashed out at Jim Lowther, president of Veterans Emergency Transition Services, who was one of the people who accused him of sleeping during a commitee meeting:"If you praise Vladimir Putin with the way he deals with veterans and you're on NDP press releases and you praise Peter Stoffer and you're in favour of the unionization of the RCMP and you try to crash the prime minister's rallies and you criticize Rob Anders for visiting a mess hall, go figure," Anders said.
"Connect the dots. When you guys go quoting somebody I think it would be nice if you do a little background on this guy to figure out he's a hack."
Anders was later removed from the committee.Archive
/ Calgary Herald

September, 2012: Anders apologizes for suggesting NDP Leader Tom Mulcair had hastened the death of his predecessor, Jack Layton. The apology was accepted by Layton's widow, Olivia Chow. During an interview with iPolitics, Anders said:"Mr. Mulcair was making it quite obvious that if Jack wasn't well enough to fight the campaign and fight the election that he should step aside," Anders said.
"Because of that, Mr. Layton put his life at risk to go into the national election, and fight it, and did obviously an amazing job considering his state of health, and that he did that partly because of the arm-twisting behind the scenes by Mulcair and then subsequently died."Sean Kilpatrick
/ Canadian Press

October 2012: A petition posted on Anders website, says a private member's bill's aim "is to give transgendered men access to women's public washroom facilities.""[It] is the duty of the House of Commons to protect and safeguard our children from any exposure and harm that will come from giving a man access to women's public washroom facilities," the petition reads.
The sponsor says his bill would only amend the Canadian Human Rights Code and hate crime laws to protect the transgendered. It is not about access to bathroomsArchive
/ Calgary Herald

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